Change in Sleeping Cycle

[ML]

I have been off work now for a week and a half and have a fair bit of anxiety about going back tomorrow. My sleeping schedule for so long was about 10:30 to 6:30. Now, my body has gotten into a grove of about midnight to 9:30. I wake up groggy and in a fog, probably from too much sleep. I tried going earlier last night but couldn't do it.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can make myself tired enough to sleep earlier tonight? Or, maybe I just have to accept I will be tired the first week back and eventually I'll find what works best.

It's silly but after such a short time I'm questionning my ability to go back to that schedule and hamster wheel of my life.

ML

 

[DaisyFace]

ML--

I wonder if you engage in a lot of strenous activity and then end the day with a nice warm bath...? It might be very easy to get to bed early that day...and then easier to get up earlier the next...until you have yourself back in the groove.

Do you have any heavy-duty chores that need doing? Maybe some early spring cleaning...?

 

[gcvmom]

I was going to suggest the same thing as DF -- go for a run or very long walk, or something else that will physically tire you out. Take a good multivitamin before you go to bed, that can help with waking easier.

 

[klmno]

I was going to suggest doing something physical during the day, too. Plus, just like with our kids, make sure you aren't taking in more caffeine or sugar than you do when on your regular work routine. I normally set the clock and start getting up a little closer to normal time starting a couple of days before I have to go back to work, too.

 

[emotionallybankrupt]

Obviously, the natural alternatives are better if they work, but I think (and my doctor has agreed) that if natural alternatives aren't working, it's better to take a sleep aid than to subject your body to much sleep deprivation. People have different opinions about this I know, and I was very stubborn about taking anything at first, but then after I became convinced I was eventually going to go to sleep at the wheel if I didn't do something different, I got help.

My particular problem turned out to be more complicated then traditional insomnia, but my point is that if your problem goes on for even a few days, I'd try one of the common over-the-counter things to try to get yourself back on track. It doesn't take a lot of sleep deprivation to depress your immune system, make you miserable, and maybe even cause you to be an impaired driver. I've found that the anxiety of knowing I HAVE to be up at a certain time can make it impossible to get enough quality sleep. In your case--since it doesn't sound like an ongoing problem--just a few nights of medication help may be all you need to get you back on track.

If I were you, I'd try the natural stuff for a couple of nights and, if things weren't going well, move to the next step for a couple in order to get caught up. Then you can try again to see if your body has figured out what it needs to do.

 

[Kjs]

Working in a data center the hours are 24/7 - 365. I was working Midnight to noon 3 days one week 4 days the next. On my days off I would switch back to day hours, then back to nights. That really messed me up. Then I was switched to noon to midnight shift. Which, is easier to be awake daytime hours, but hard to fall a sleep as soon as I walk in the door. Can't really go workout, or do much of anything at 1am. So, for those days that I cannot sleep, I was taking melatonin.

Hope things work out for you.